Maximum Ride: Clones and Voices
by Hopelessly-Blissful
Summary: After their breakaway from Itex, the flock once again sets out to get away from the School, Erasers, Ari, and Jeb. But then they meet another flock like them, but they also loose two of their own in the process. I suck at summaries...
1. Chapter 1

I awoke to the sound of Nudge talking fast. That's a good way to start the day. Not.

I mean, listening to someone who talks non-stop all the time before you even open your eyes is not a good start. I love her, but would it kill her to take a break every once in a while? I didn't think so.

I groggily opened my eyes and instantly regretted it, for the sun was shining through the trees right in my face.

I rolled over so i faced a more shaded direction and slowly opened them again. That was better. At least i could see without excruciating pain now. I changed into a sitting position and my eyes rested on the can of coke Fang and I had split last night. I remembered how we laughed for the longest time until out ribs hurt too much to continue. That was the first time in ages Fang had laughed that much. I suddenly wished i could see him laugh like that again. Instead of his usual moody self anyway.

I got to my feet and saw that Angel, Gazzy and Total were still asleep. Funny, usually Nudge and Iggy were the hardest to wake up i the mornings. But not today. Today they were wide awake and sitting by the fire with Fang. I walked over to them.

"About time Sleeping Beauty," Iggy said, "we thought you were going to sleep forever."

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" I directed my question at Fang.

He smirked and shrugged. Typical.

"Morning, Max," Nudge said cheerfully.

"G' morning, Nudge." I said to her.

"Ooh! Guess what?" She asked. I raised my eyebrows, a motion for her to continue. Here we go. "This morning when I woke up, which was at like, eight, I saw a dolphin out in the water when I was looking for starfish near the shore. There were three of them and they were leaping up through the water and making that squeaky noise like this," She imitated a dolphin's call. "And then the others responded. Hey-I wonder if Angel could talk to them!? You know, since they're fish, and she can talk to fish and-"

I cut her off. "Nudge," I said.

She looked down. "Sorry," She mumbled.

"No-it's okay. I just meant," I was searching for an excuse. "I just meant that maybe you could wake you Angel and ask her to talk to them if you saw them again."

She brightened up at that thought. "Yeah! Hey, Max, can we go swimming?"

I though about it for a second, watching Fang poke at the fire with a sharp stick. "Sure, Nudge," I said. "Why don't you wake Gazzy and Angel up first and ask them too?"

"Yeah!" She skipped over to where the Gasman and his baby sister, Angel lay sleeping.

Their blond hair slightly ruffled from lying on the ground all night. When Nudge woke her, Angel's blond curls regained their normal bounce when she nodded. The Gasman didn't look too happy at being woken up, but at the mention of swimming, he was wide awake.

They all came running over to where we were, Angel wrapping her arms around my neck in a tight hug. "Hi, Max." She said sleepily.

"Hey, sweetie," I said. Angel was my baby. I treated her like it too. I had taken care of Angel all her life; changing her, feeding her, telling her stories to help her sleep when she'd have a nightmare.

I ruffled Gazzy's hair up more than it already was. He was a sweet, sweet kid.

"Come on, Iggy," Nudge said, tapping him on the arm. He rose and followed them down to the water.

I stayed behind and so did Fang.

At that moment, that nice peaceful moment, my 'friend' the Voice decided it was feeling chatty.

Maximum, this is no time for a vacation. You should get moving. You have to save the world, remember?'

I thought back icily. I've heard more than enough from you! Can you shut up for, oh, I don't know, maybe forever?

Max, Max, Max, the Voice said. You need patience. I may not be with you forever.

Oh, I'll miss you terribly. I thought back sarcastically. Then I added, Not! Just to give it a little something extra.

Max . . . The Voice said warningly.

What now? I thought irritably. If you don't can it soon, you'll ruin my day even more than you already have.

'Maximum, as I have said before, you need to get a start on saving the world.' The Voice said ignoring me.

'How do I even save the world when I don't know what i'm supposed to be saving it from?!' I was totally fed up.

The Voice didn't answer either. Typical. It never answered when it was an important thing I actually needed answered.

"Max?" I noticed Fang looking at me curiously. Or, well, as much as Fang can look curious. "What's wrong? The Voice again?"

I nodded feeling a headache coming on. Then the pain exploded. I moaned in agony, my head in my hands.

I heard Fang get on his knees beside me. I felt his hands grip my forearms gently, but firmly. I squeezed my eyes shut so no tears could escape. After a moment, the pain eased up a bit so I could actually open my eyes and look up. Fang met my gaze, and I saw he looked genuinely concerned.

I lay back, panting.

"Was it as bad as the others?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah . . ." I said. I wiped a hand across my eyes quickly.

He looked away for that second, acting as though he didn't see. But I knew better.

"We should get going . . ." I got to my feet and called the rest of the flock out of the water. They were reluctant, but came as I requested.

We were in the air within minutes and started out journey north. I didn't even know where we were going.


	2. Chapter 2

Last time I forgot to put a disclaimer, so here it is:

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the characters from Maximum Ride. James Patterson does.

CHAPTER 2

About five minutes after we had begun flying, Fang glided over to my side and asked, "Why are we going north?"

I looked away for a moment and glanced at the younger kids. Gazzy and Angel were flying up a little up ahead talking and Iggy and Nudge were just behind them. Nudge was-what else?-talking to Iggy about horses. I didn't know she could talk that fast!! Anyway, I turned back to Fang and said, "Honestly, I have no idea. I'm just trying to get the kids away from Itex. While we're close to Itex, it means we're close to the Erasers and Whitecoats. Right nor, I'd rather die than go back there near them."

Fang nodded understandingly. Gotta love him for that!

After a moment, Fang glided away and Angel took over his position.

"Hi, Max," She said. She had some weird glint in her eye. Something major was up.

"Hey there, Ange." I said nervously, but tried to block my thoughts from her. Who knew what she was capable of? Literally.

"Max, there's something I need to talk to you about . . ." What was going on about?

"Okay," I said, waiting for her to continue. I saw Fang glance over, but he probably though everything seemed normal. Well it wasn't.

"You know how a while back I said that maybe I should be leader? Well, I really think it's time to give the position to me. I mean, no offense or anything, but I think I'd be better at it than you."

I was shocked. No, wait, beyond shocked. Angel really meant business; there was no hint of the old Angel in who just spoke. Which really made me think: What had the School done to her?

"Angel," I said, my voice firm. "I'm leader, okay? And nothing's going to change unless, let's say, I die. Then Fang is going to take over and Iggy will be his Second. You're not ready to be leader, got it?" I hadn't meant to be so short with her.

Angel gave me a deep scowl and flew off back with the others. Fang rejoined me for a moment and asked, "What just happened?"

I shook my head in disbelief for a moment and said, in almost a whisper so Angel couldn't overhear. Which really helped a lot. Note sarcasm here. "We can't talk about it here. Wait till tonight when the kids were asleep."

He nodded and stayed in his position beside me for all over five minutes.

Fang glanced behind the flock and was about to turn back but did a double-take.

"Eight o' clock, Erasers!" He shouted. Why couldn't we ever be left alone?

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A/N Reviews! I want some reviews please! Tell me what you think and if I get...three reviews, then I'll put the next chapter up very, very soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I whipped around to see eight Erasers, including Ari, flying toward us at top speed. Funny, I didn't think they could fly fast and remember to flap at the same time.

Ari (a.k.a. Dogboy) came up first. "Hello, Max. Miss me?" He growled.

"Like the plague," I said in false brightness. I was not happy to see him.

Fang, out of nowhere, charged at Ari, sucker punching him in the face. Ari responded by kicking out at Fang's chest, but Fang dodged him easily and returned the kick, hitting his target. Boys.

I looked around at the rest of the flock. Iggy and Gazzy had successfully blown up two Erasers and were working on a third. Where do they stash all these bombs? Wait-no, i may not want to know.

Nudge was holding off two Erasers while Angel used her mind control on them. "You're going to forget to flap and fall down that crevice." Wow. She was scary and, in fact, there was a crevice just blow us. That would hurt.

The two Erasers folded in their wings and dropped down to their death two hundred and eighty feet below us.

The remaining two came at me as I heard Iggy and Gazzy blow up their last attacker. Mine came at me, and I clapped one of them's ears. It screamed as its eardrums blew and held its head in agony, dropping a few feet in the process. I did not feel sorry for that sucker.

The last Eraser (besides Ari, that is) punched me in the nose. I didn't feel it break, but blood was gushing from my nostrils. I delivered a round-about kick to its head and it went tumbling backwards. It regained its composure and came back at me. Did they ever know when to give up?

Apparently not, because he was coming back for more. As it flew, I ducked down and changed positions so I was behind him. I clapped my hands too its ears. Hard. It screamed and did exactly as the last one did. I looked over and saw Ari had apparently raked his claws down Fang's arm, making him bleed. Seeing he was outnumbered, Ari flew out of hold Fang had on his neck with difficulty and said, "Next time, i'm coming back with more reinforcements than you've ever seen."

"Yeah, right, Dogboy. Daddy's not gonna let you have all his little experiments. Keep dreaming." I said. I knew he was bluffing. I could see in his eyes, he knew the same exact thing.

Ari took off and was soon out of sight, for a cloud drifted across his path.

"Report." I commanded.

"Two broken fingers," Iggy said.

Gazzy said, "Some bruises."

Angel and Nudge both said they were fine, too.

Fang didn't answer. "Fang," I prodded.

"I'm fine," He said, but the nail marks on his arm and the blood on his jack told me otherwise. Poor Fang. I'll see to him as soon as we land.

It was already almost five o' clock. We needed somewhere to sleep for the night. "We'll land down there," I said, pointing to a park area that looked pretty deserted.

Everyone nodded and we flew down to land.

We touched down behind some shrubbery.

Nudge said, "Max, I'm-"

"Hungry," Fang, Iggy and I finished for her under out breaths.

"Yeah," I said. "We'll get something as soon as I get Iggy and Fang fixed up."

I took Fang's backpack from him and commanded for him and Iggy to both sit down on a bench a couple of feet away. Fang was totally reluctant.

I turned to Iggy; there wasn't much I could do for broken fingers, so I put them in a small splint and wrapped them up as best I could. They would be healed by tomorrow.

I then turned to Fang. I made him take his jacket off and stared gaping at the bloody wound. I know I probably looked like a doofus to the rest of the flock (minus Iggy) who were sitting on the ground watching intently.

I got my wits back and brought out the antiseptic, cotton balls, and bandages. The cuts were 1/4 an inch wide and three inches in length. They were some big-insert swear word of your choice here-cuts.

I started with the cotton balls, wiping away the blood, then i poured on the antiseptic, making Fang wince slightly, and then I bandaged him up with some strips torn from old shirts. I tied it tight, satisfied. Those bandages weren't coming off until I say so. Well, okay maybe until Fang says to, but still.

After I was done, Fang, saying that I couldn't walk around with a bloody nose, fixed it and he put his wind-breaker back on.

Nudge was about to open her mouth, but I held up my hand, saying, "We'll get something to eat after we find a hotel, okay?"

She nodded, abashed.

The younger kids looked thrilled about getting a real bed for the night. I was less than thrilled. Remember last time we were at a hotel? Yeah, I was kidnapped and taken and put in an isolation tank for God knows how long. I felt a strange emotion at the thought of the kids liking the idea of a bed. Was it guilt? Maybe if the chip in my arm was gone . . . No-wait. I promised Fang that I wouldn't. And I'm determined to keep that promise.

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A/N: I know it's kind of short, but the chapter's will get longer. I'll update in a few hours (i already have like 40 chapters on my comp) lol. R&R please! Because I LOVE reviews.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: You know the drill: I do not own Maximum Ride at all, whatsoever.

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Chapter 4

We finally found a hotel about ten minutes later and went up to the reception desk.

"Can I help you?" The woman said in a British accent. What was she doin' in Georgia? Who even cares?

"I was wanting to know how much a room is for a night," I said.

"Five-five dollars. It includes a kitchen, television, a bathroom and two beds per room." She said.

"Okay, we'll only need one room than," I paid, got our key, and led the flock up to room 314.

When I opened the door Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge bolted inside. Fang, Iggy and I followed.

Nudge said, "Max, can we get-"

"I'm on it, Nudge," Man, that kid was impatient. "I'll go and-"

"I'll go, Max," Fang said, cutting me off.

"No you're not. You're hurt, and besides-" He reached in my back pocket and got my ATM card. My back pocket! While the flock (minus Iggy. Thank goodness he was blind at this particular moment) sat there, watching. I turned beet root red, hoping Fang didn't notice. He did, and gave a half-smirk, half-grin.

He grinned! Well, okay, semi-grin, but all the same, a grin.

I loved it when he grinned. He looked so- Whoa! Bad, Max, bad! I can't think of him like that! He's my best friend. I heard Angel giggle behind me. Damnit. "Angel," I said in a warning tone. Fang slipped out the door before I could protest, but I opened the door again and called out into the corridor after him, "Be Careful!"

I heard the whole flock behind me sniggering. Darn my teenage hormones.

"Angel, shower." I said, trying to get the attention off me.

By the time Gazzy, Nudge and Iggy all had their showers after Angel, Fang arrived with the food. Chinese. Yum.

We dug in to our food with hunger. Five minutes later, out stomachs were full and it was time for the three younger kids to get to bed.

After much convincing and tucking in. Iggy, Fang, and I stacked fists with the others and sat down at the small table at the left-hand side of the room.

"So, where are we going anyway?" Iggy asked.

Uh-oh. Bad question.

"Uhh . . . " I looked around at Fang searching for help as Iggy looked at me with his sightless eyes.

"You don't know, do you?" He asked, smiling.

'Voice? Any suggestions?'

'Go with the flow, Max,' The Voice replied.

'That's no help.'

'What about a deserted island? Although, you should be focusing on saving the world.'

'Voice, you can really tick me-wait. Deserted island. That's it! But why? Won't the Erasers find us?' I asked it.

'I have decided to give you a vacation.' The Voice said.

'Yes!'

'One week only and no, the Erasers won't find you. If you fly about two hundred and fifty miles east of Virginia, there is a deserted island. One week only, though.' The Voice said.

I turned my attention back to Iggy and Fang. "We're taking a vacation." I said. "A deserted island two hundred and fifty miles east of Virginia. A one week vacation, how's that sound?"

Fang and Iggy looked at me like I was nuts.

"But we're running" Iggy pointed out.

"And the Erasers won't find us where we're going." I shot back. "We'll be safe there."

They couldn't argue and I wouldn't be denied.

"Okay," Fang said with a small sigh. "You're the leader."

Iggy went to bed shortly after, having to push Gazzy to the other side of the bed.

When we heard Iggy's breathing go regular, Fang said in a hushed whisper, "Was this you idea, or your Voice's?"

I sighed and rubbed my eyes, clearing the sleep from them. "My Voice's" I admitted.

"And we can trust it?" He pressed.

"It's never been wrong before," I said.

He nodded as if this whole thing suddenly made a whole lot of sense. Nothing made sense anymore!

Since I had gotten my shower before Fang cam back with the food, I said, "You should take a shower and get some sleep. I'll take first watch."

He nodded at first, but then said, "No, you sleep. I'll watch. I'm not tired anyway,"

I nodded reluctantly and went over to one of the cushiony chairs in the far right corner of the room.

"Night." I said, stifling a yawn.

Fang walked over to me and knelt down. "We're leaving for the island tomorrow?"

I though for a moment. "We'll go up to Virginia then go east. We'll need to get a fresh start before we go the whole 250 miles."

"What was that thing with Angel earlier?" He asked suddenly.

"Oh, she wanted to be leader and I said no. She's been acting a little weird ever since we rescued her from the School. They did something to her." I said. "That's all it was."

He nodded and was about to get up, but leaned back down and kissed my forehead.

"Night, Max," He said softly and walked toward the bathroom for his shower. Leaving me and my mind buzzing into hyper drive.

'You like him,' The Voice chastised me.

"Shut up," I muttered, turning so I could find a more comfortable position.

'Face it, Maximum.' The Voice continued. 'You're growing up and so is Fang. You'll realize it sooner or later. Though, I think you already have.'

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R&R Please!!


	5. Chapter 5 Part 1

Chapter 5 Part 1

I drifted out of my deep sleep by someone gently, but firmly shaking my shoulder. I knew that familiar pressure of touch on my arm. Fang.

I opened my eyes to see him kneeling next to me as he did last night. "Your watch," He said in hushed tones.

I rubbed my eyes to get more awake and shivered. It was cold in here. Well, it was the beginning of December after all. Fang must have sensed this because he asked, "Cold?"

I shrugged. "It's a bit chilly, I guess." I said. "I'll be alright. Where's the thermostat?"

He pointed to the wall beside Iggy and Gazzy's bed. I went over to it, and cranked up the heat.

I then said to Fang, "You should get some sleep. I'll be fine."

I walked over to the chair Fang used earlier to keep watch and sat down, hugging my arms around myself. After a moment, I heard him come over and put his jacket on my shoulders.

"You need it more than I do. Besides, I'm not cold." His hands lingered on my shoulders a moment longer, then he walked back to the chair I had been sleeping in before.

It was pretty boring, sitting there for four hours, with nothing to do. I doubt any Erasers would try and get in anyway.

I glanced over at Fang and saw his eyes were closed but he probably wasn't actually asleep.

Gazzy mumbled something in his sleep, rolled over and flung an arm across Iggy's face. Ouch. Iggy's sightless eyes snapped open in an instant and he cursed quietly, but even I could hear it from where I was sitting. You do not want to know which swear word he used. He pushed Gazzy's arm off his face and crawled out of bed, settling on the floor and closing his eyes again. I must admit, as much as I sympathize for Iggy on that little "accident" it was pretty dang hilarious! After a moment,, I heard his breathing go regular again, and he was asleep. Nudge even mumbled something about McDonalds and two Big Mac's . She even dreamt about food!

I had to hold in my laughter, though. Angel and Gazzy were sleeping peacefully.

Wait, what was that? It came from outside in the hallway. I went over to the peep hole in the door and looked out. Just two girls and a boy around eighteen. Nothing really suspicious about that. Just some late-night partiers.

I still stood staring through the hole until they passed. I know, I'm like, totally paranoid. Do you blame me?

I went back to my chair, listening intently until it was Iggy's turn to take watch.

At four o' clock, I went over to where Iggy was lying on the floor, and gently shook his shoulder hard enough for him to wake up. He opened his eyes instantly. "Your watch," I repeated Fangs words.

He rose to his feet and asked hoarsely, "What time is it?"

"Four," I replied.

I took the longest watch and I knew Fang would give me grief for it when he woke up. But what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?

I went over to the chair beside Fang's and sank into the soft cushions, curling into a ball like a cat. I was asleep in minutes.


	6. Chapter 5 Part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride at all.

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Chapter 5 part 2

I awoke to the sound of Nudge's voice. Again. I opened my eyes and rose from my chair. The clock on the nightstand read 8:02 Fang was sitting at the small table with Iggy who's sightless eyes were drooping, Angel and Gazzy who were playing with Total, and Nudge. She was chatting happily to him about her McDonalds dream she'd had last night. Fang's eyes locked with mine and i blushed, breaking the contact. Everyone was eating power bars, so i grabbed one and bit in to it. Iggy heard me and said, "So what did you guys do after i went to bed last night? Make-out?" Fang and I choked on our bars, giving Iggy glares which was totally wasted on him, seeing as he couldn't see it anyway. Fang didn't really glare too much though. I got the whole package; I was blushing, speechless, glaring and fighting the huge urge to grin, all at the same time. Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy started laughing. Then, guess what? They started making kissing noises! Those little . . . "We did not!" I said, getting all indignant. Fang smirked at me. Why oh why did they always tease me? They were still giggling. I am never going to live this one down. But we didn't even do anything! My life is sooo twisted sometimes. "Guys," I directed this at Gazzy, Angel, and Nudge. "Drop it, okay? We did not kiss. not even once. Got it?" I had raised my voice slightly, making them quit the laughing and making kissing noises. They knew I was totally ticked off about that. Nudge moved over to Angel and Gazzy who paid attention to Total again. "Hey-guys?" Iggy said. "Fang obviously likes Max's back pocket! Remember yesterday?" This got them started up again. I won't give you all the details 'cause it was the same as before, except Fang even blushed this time, sharing my mortification. They quieted down after a while, loosing interest with it. They would find something to tease me about later, I guarantee it. I was beyond grateful for that one quiet moment in time. That was sooo embarrassing! I mean, i didn't totally mind the whole 'back-pocket' thing yesterday, but he just had to pull that little stunt in front of all of them, didn't he? Oh, well, it's over with now. "Okay, flock," I said. "We should go ahead and make a start flying to Virginia. We're going on vacation to an island. A deserted one." This got cheers from the younger ones. Nudge and Gazzy slapped high-fives. "Why are we going to Virginia?" Nudge asked me. "Are we going to Anne's?" "No." I said. But I thought that was a little harsh. "We can't. Not now, anyway. We'll fly to Virginia, then take a rest for the night, and start for the island tomorrow morning. All right?" Everyone agreed and we got our stuff together and checked out of the hotel. We got into the back alley, away from wandering eyes, and got into the air. Total was stashed in Fang's backpack with his head sticking out of the gap we left so he could breathe. That was one strange dog. We flew in silence for a while, listening to our wings beating the air with rhythm. It was nice. It was peaceful and exciting. Feeling the wind in your face, blowing your hair back is one of the greatest things ever. Fang glanced over at me and we made eye contact that, somehow, i found unable to break this time. He gave me one of his rare smiles. My heart raced as i returned it, blushing. The Voice was right: we were growing up. Told you, The Voice said smugly. Can it. I thought back. Don't ruin the moment, Can you believe I'm being such a girlie-girl about this? I think i seriously need a brain scan.

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R&R please!


	7. Chapter 6 Part 1

Chapter 6 part 1 

We got to Virginia without seeing any Erasers. For Once. It was already 5:00 by the time we found a good town to land in nearby. I spotted an abandoned building near where we were and thought we'd rest there instead of going to another hotel. I was running pretty low on cash too, so i needed to find an ATM somewhere, because we needed supplies.

I told everyone to follow me and we ended up in the old, tall abandoned Victorian house. I made all the younger kids wait in the room we landed in, with Iggy in charge. Fang and I would check for any signs of danger. We started out in the hallway and someone (Gazzy, i think) sneezed from behind me, making me jump and stumble into-yep, you guessed it- Fang. He smirked as he steadied me and we continued down the stairs. We did a quick, but thorough, run-through of the lower levels of the house, then went to check the upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms. All clear.

We went to get the rest of the flock and told them to pick which room they wanted to sleep in. There were three. Iggy and Gazzy ran for the room nearest them and Angel and Nudge bounded for the room across from it. Why couldn't there have been four bedrooms?!!! That left the last room for . . .me and Fang. They planned this; Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel totally, one hundred percent planned this!!

Total came running from Gazzy and Iggy's room (Fang had let him out of his backpack after be arrived) saying, "Whatever you do, don't go in there. Gazzy . . . you know?"

"We know," We replied to the small black dog in unison with disgusted looks on our faces. Total trotted away, into Angel and Nudge's room. Fang and I walked into "our" room.

Fang said, "Sooo . . . I'll take the couch tonight."

My head snapped up to look at him. What, he felt uncomfortable to sleep in the same room with me? Whoa, that almost came out wrong. I had better watch how words come out from now on a bit better.

"No," I said. "I'll take the couch."

"No, you take the bed-" Fang said, but i cut him off.

"How about we both take the bed? We'll sleep on separate sides with a very large gap in between us."

Now i know where Gazzy gets the whole 'sexist pig' thing from. I'm sure Fang's taught him all he knows about girls.

Fang thought for a moment then agreed. "But if Iggy starts again," He added. "I'll tackle him harder than he's ever been tackled before!"

I stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. Iggy entered the room with Gazzy right behind him.

"Whoa," Iggy said. "Guys, slow down, it's not even dark yet." He smirked at his little joke. I looked at Fang. "Tackle him." I said. Iggy got this fake scared look on his face and fled from the room, pulling Gazzy with him.

"You, my winged friend, are a piece of work." Fang said to me once our laughter died down. I took a small bow and said playfully, "Thank you, thank you very much."

"We should go to the supermarket now and get some spare food. After all, we'll be on that island for a week." I added. He nodded and we went to get the rest of the flock.


	8. Chapter 6 Part 2

I keep forgetting to put a disclaimer...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anyone or anything from Maximum Ride..

Chapter 6 part 2

Before we got to the store, we stopped off at an ATM to make sure we'd have enough cash. Good thing too, let's just say, we were running very, very low on money. When we got to the store, I instructed Fang to take Gazzy and Angel and I would take Ig and Nudge with me. We each grabbed a basket and started off in different directions. We agreed that we would meet up by the cereal near that big pyramid of cans. (How do those things stay up?!) First stop for me, Ig and Miss-Feeling-Talky-Pants: Fruit. I grabbed three of those little plastic bags you put fruits and veggies in and put four apples in each bag. I also got six oranges, and two bunches of banana's. Fang said he would get the sodas and canned food. After five more minutes of shopping, it was time to meet up with the rest of the flock. We spotted them over by the cereal and you'll never guess who was talking to them. Non other than Red-Haired-Wonder herself. Yep. It was little miss Lissa.

I walked over to them (trying to calm down because i was totally ticked off. What the hell was she doing here?) "Max!" Lissa said when she saw us approach. That's right. Act all sweet for Fang. Bet your a total witch (actually i was thinking of another word that rhymed with that, but I'm not gonna say it.) "How are you?" She asked, lingering right beside Fang. And when I say right beside, i mean right beside him. I mean, her arm was brushing against his. I resisted the urge to go over and wring her scrawny little neck. For Fang's sake, that is. Not hers. Plus, if I did, the police would be all over me, so i restrained myself. For now, anyway. "What are you guys doing here?" She asked. Her happy little voice made me want to puke my guts out. "We had to get some stuff." I said curtly. duh, Red, it's a supermarket. What else are we supposed to being doing here? "We're going on vacation." "Ooh, really? Where to?" She inquired. I replied Florida, the same time Fang said, "Brazil." Brazil? How in the heck did he come up with that? "Actually," Fang said. "We're going to Florida, then Brazil." Good save buddy, 'cause Lissa bought it. "Lissa, c' mon!" A woman called from the cash register who looked like a exact older version of Red-Haired-Wonder herself. Lissa's Mom. "I have to go, but I hope I'll see you again soon." (Yeah, like that was really gonna happen.) It sounded like she directed this at Fang. She kissed him on the cheek and scurried off to her mother. Yes, She kissed him on the cheek! I can't believe that little-(insert swear word of your choice here)-did that! Fang smirked. He actually liked it. My life sucks. I stared at Fang, wishing I could go over and slap that little smirk off his face. "Let's go," I said coldly as Angel and Nudge giggled at my gaping expression. I'm gonna have to have a serious talkt o Angel about reading my mind when i don't even give her permission. We paid for our groceries, and headed back to the building. I hadn't talked to Fang since out little encounter with Red-Haired-Wonder. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, I would start yelling instead of speaking calmly and rationally. After we all ate something for dinner, it was time to get some sleep. Iggy and Fang said they'd take the first two watches. I decided that we would leave at about 5:30. Everyone stacked fists and went to their separate rooms. Everyone except Iggy, that is, who took his place on the top step of the stairs. Fang and I went into "our" room. I hadn't spoken more than four sentences to him since we had gotten back. Serves him right. "What's wrong?" He asked, shutting the door behind him. I swear he could read me like a book sometimes. "Nothing." I replied. Short, curt, to the point. Perfect. "Seeing Lissa again bothered you, didn't it?" He said. I stared him straight in the eye. "Why on earth would you think that?" "Because you've been giving me the silent treatment." No, I haven't." I said, taking off my shoes and pulling down the blankets on my side and slipping under. (Yes, there were blankets in this house). Fang sat down next to where i was laying, his back against the headboard. "I didn't know she'd bet there. Besides, she kissed me, not the other way around." He tucked a strand of hair that was in my face behind my ear. "Goodnight, Max." He said softly. After A moment, i said, "Night, Fang." He layed down on his side of the bed, his face away from me. I swear I could almost hear him smirking. I didn't say anything else, so I let him sleep. His watch would be coming soon and he need to rest.

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R&R please! I'll be updating a couple times a day since I just finished chapter 40.


	9. Chapter 7 Part 1

Chapter 7 part 1

I had been drifting in and out of sleep all night. Right before it was time for Fang's watch, I had fallen asleep for good. I felt something hard and lean against my back, and a thumping sound like a heart beat. My head was lying on something, something that didn't feel like a pillow. There was something slung across my mid-stomach. I opened my eyes and looked behind me. There, so close I could see every single one of his eyelashes, was Fang. I mean, right there. Talk about awkward. Suddenly, though, I didn't fell so angry at Lissa anymore. Well, well, well, My 'friend' the Voice decided to stop by. 'Comfortable?' 'Can it' I thought back, then, 'not really. What if one of the kids come in?' No answer. Damn Voice. I realized that my head was on Fang's arm, my back was to his chest, and his arm was around my waist. I slowly lifted his arm from my waist and tried to get up, but i had apparently awoken Fang in the process because he said huskily, "Where you goin'?" "To wake up the others." I said, then a realization dawned on me. "Oh my God." Fang opened his eyes to look at me. "Why aren't you on watch?" Fang sat straight up and began putting on his shoes, quickly jumping off the bed and going out into the hall, with me right behind him. We were greeted with the sight of Iggy, sitting on the top step where we left him last night, asleep. Poor guy, he fell asleep on the job. Oh well, I guess i could let it slide. He was exhausted, and besides, it wasn't like any Erasers came, was it? "If you can wake Ig and Gazzy up, I'll get the girls." I said. Fang nodded and went over to Iggy to start the long process of trying to convince him to wake the heck up. I waked into the girls' room and said softly, "wakey, wakey, time to get up." Nudge groaned and turned over. Angel got a deep scowl on her face. "We're going to the island today." No go. "There's water at the beach." Nudge shot up out of the bed and Angel got up, well . . . slower than that. We went out into the hall, and saw something adorable. Gazzy and Iggy were leaning against each other, half-asleep, to stay up-right and Fang was standing in front of them smirking. Gazzy lifted his head up and said, "Max, can you wake me up from now on? Fang's mean." I looked to Fang and saw that Gazzy's words hit him hard, and he looked slightly hurt. I could see it all in his eyes. First, I was mad at Fang and now Gazzy is. Why couldn't we ever give the guy a break? I crouched down in front of Gazzy. "What did Fang do sweetie?" I asked while rubbing his back to wake him up more. "He picked me up and dragged me out of my bed, my feet were dragging on the floor." Fang said, sounding annoyed, "I did it gently!!" "Nu-uh!" Gazzy argued. "You're just saying that so you won't get in trouble!" He took a brave step toward Fang. Whoa, Gazzy! Bad move. Brave, but not the greatest decision. You'll never guess what happened next. Fang smiled "How could I possibly get in trouble? I'm as old as Max is! And you know what? I'm not gonna fight with an eight year old kid!" He then turned to me. "I'll be outside when you're ready to leave." With that, Fang walked down the stairs, out the front door, slamming it behind him. Well, that was the perfect start to the day. Note sarcasm here.  



	10. Chapter 7 Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

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Chapter 7 Part 2

"Guys," I said to the flock. "Get your shoes and stuff together and sit in the living room. I have to talk to Fang."

"That's right, Max!" Gazzy nearly yelled. "Give him a piece of your mind!"

"Gazzy," I said warningly. I can't believe he thought I was gonna tell Fang off for something he didn't do. Or, well, something he didn't half do . . . or well, whatever!

They did as I told them to and I ran in the room Fang and I shared and shoved my sneakers on my feet. I then ran for the front door. I found Fang sitting on the front step of the big front porch. I went down and sat beside him, trying to calm my breathing enough to actually sound like i wasn't running out here to find him. "Hey." I said. He looked at me and only grunted. Well, that was a great response! Not.

"C' mon, Fang," I said, desperation in my voice. "Gazzy didn't mean that. You know he didn't. That's just how he is. He was tired and cranky as per usual."

"Yeah, whatever. But why does he have to be so . . . " He paused, trying to think of the right word. He used his hands in a violent motion for emphasis. It worked. I knew exactly what he meant. He meant that Gazzy was being an insufferable, can't-hold-your-peace-for-nothing-eight-year-old. I can't say that i agreed because me, Fang, and Iggy were like that when we were Gazzy's age. Well, me and Iggy more than him. Fang was a quiet kid.

"Fang, Gazzy's over it." I said. "He's okay now."

"Thanks, Max." He said, patting my shoulder. "So when do we leave?"

"Right now," I said and went over to the front door. "Flock!" I yelled inside the house.

All four of them filed out (I saw Gazzy scowling at Fang). "Geez, Max," Iggy said, rubbing his temples. "Take it easy on the yelling. I was right there!" I made sure we had everything (Didn't want to forget Total), and said to Fang and Gasser, "Apologize, both of you." Fang looked at me incredulously. I looked back apologetically. I knew it wasn't all his fault, but i didn't want this feud to go on all week. Gazzy looked like it was killing him, but said, "Sorry."

"Yeah," Fang sighed. "Me too."

"Good," I said. "Now let's go." Angel took off first, followed by Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, Fang (with Total in his backpack muttering something incoherent), then me. After we were in the air for about an hour, we left the land behind us and the only thing you could see for miles around was water. Beautiful, crystal clear ocean water. No Erasers would find us all the way out here, that's for sure. They probably wouldn't be able to fly for that long without taking a rest. Now that's what I call pathetic. 'Voice?' I asked in my head.

'Yes, Maximum?' It replied.

'When you said 250 miles, did you mean from the edge of the ocean, or-'

'Yes.'

Great. We had already flown about one hundred seventy miles altogether, so we had flown about a hundred of them over water. Soon, we would be there in bliss. It took us another hour and a half to even spot the island. It was, as the Voice had implied, in the middle of absolutely nowhere. So, in a word, it was . . . beautiful. There were a lot of sand (no frickin' duh), trees, flowers, coconuts, pineapples. It was the perfect paradise. And we had arrived at last.

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R&R please!


	11. Chapter 8

**Here's the disclaimer I'm always forgetting to put: I do not own Maximum Ride at all. Never have in the past, and I never will in the future. I only own Maximum Ride School's Out Forever in hardback which my brother bought at Wal-Mart. (Even though I read it more than he does.)**

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**Chapter 8**

Ten minutes after we arrived, camp was set up, and the kids were already in the water. Fang and I sat a little ways up on the shore, watching them laugh and splash each other. Iggy and Nudge were tackling one another and Gazzy and Angel were playing 'Marco Polo'.

"Come on, Max!" Yelled Nudge, dodging Iggy. "Come play with us!"

"I don't think-" I began, but she marched up to where Fang and I were sitting and said, "Please?" She looked at us and-oh no! She gave us the Bambi eyes. We tried to avoid her gaze, but she would not be denied.

I sighed. "Okay,"

"Fang?" She asked hopefully.

"Nah," He declined.

I leaned in close, my face inches from his. "If I have to, so do you."

He rolled his eyes and stood up as I did too. We followed Nudge down to the water and everyone had apparently decided to play the game called, 'Tackle Fang And Max'. They dived for us, and we went under and swam off in different directions, trying to confuse them. No go. Nudge and Iggy went for Fang and Gazzy and Angel went for me.

Twenty minutes later, the kids finally tired out and crashed up by the fire Fang had made. Good thing too, 'cause every time someone would say my name, I would turn my head toward them, and send little water droplets flying off my hair, making the fire hiss. That sound was getting really annoying.

I looked around at Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel. Sweet, innocent, wet. Sand was already in their hair. Across from me on the other side of the fire, Iggy's eyelids were drooping. Poor Ig. He apparently hadn't gotten enough sleep last night. Well, he got less than the rest of us anyway.

_Max_, My annoying Voice said. _Swear to me, as soon as you little 'vacation' is over, you will save the world._

_What_?! I yelled inside my head. _This whole, 'island' thing was your idea in the first place!_

_Maximum, promise!_ Whoa, a violent tone. What a little-(insert swear word of your choice here)-. I noticed Fang looking at me; I forgot to answer back to the Voice. It got my attention though,

_MAXIMUM! ANSWER ME!_ Ahhh, headache coming on. Thanks for that Voice.

Can it, I thought.

_Not till you promise!_ The Voice said.

_Fine,_ I thought. _Whatever._

Okay, I had had enough from my Voice. I had made my decision, oh, three seconds ago when it gave me my little 'brain-blast'. The chip was coming out. Tonight

_Maximum you had better not! You need me_! You-Know-Who said.

_No, I don't_, I replied.

You won't be able to save the world without my guidance.

_Oh pu-lease_, I thought. _You throwing random things at us to do isn't guidance, that's called, 'winging it'. Something I happen to know how to do fairly well, so why would I need you? I don't. Never have, never will, no way, no how, not ever. Besides, what if I don't care? I'm not the right person to be saving the world. Who cares? We'll all be dead in a hundred years anyway. Or sooner, I added to myself._

The Voice was speechless. Good.

"Problem?" Fang asked. I saw that Ig had fallen asleep. Awwwe.

"No," I said quickly. He was not gonna fond out about what I planned to do with the chip tonight. No how, no way, not ever. (A/N: I just like that phrase, lol) What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. I hoped.

About two hours later, about three o' clock, Ig, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel woke up. Funny how they could time each other like that, because they wok within seconds of each other.

The first thing out of Nudge's mouth: "Max, I'm hungry."

That night, I asked for one last word with my Voice. So no Eraser's are gonna find us tonight or for the rest of the week, right?

Yes, Max, The Voice said warily. You're right. Good. I loved being right when it came to the Voice.

After Ange, Gasser, Nudge, Ig, and Fang were asleep, I fished a flashlight and Swiss Army Knife out of Fang's pack and went down by the water, about twenty yards away from my sleeping flock. I plopped down, and shined the flashlight on my arm. I used my feet to hold the light in place. I opened the knife blade, smelling to see if it was clean. (no Eraser blood, i mean. Hey-Clean and Mean rhyme, get it? Clean and Me-forget it) It smelled of alcohol. Fang knew what he was doing, keeping things clean around the little kids. I knew that the slightest bit of pressure i would apply would penetrate my skin. I made sure I could see clearly where the chip was at in my arm, then placed the knife on my forearm. I was scared. I could loose the use of my arm or even bleed to death. Too damn bad. Sure, scary, but worth it.

I applied the pressure . . . and nearly moaned in pain. This thing was sharp.

_Max, don't do this_ ! The Voice said, but I blocked it out.

I thought I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, but dismissed the thought. It was probably just a leaf falling from a tree. No big deal. I continued, the knife may have been sharp, but i had to work carefully and slowly. Because one little slip . . . well, i wanted to avoid that major vein running up my arm, and just because the blade hurt. No freakin' duh. I saw the movement again. I was covered in my own blood. The flashlight slipped and was no-long between my feet. \par I saw someone walking down to where I sat. \par Shit! It was Fang.

"Max?" He said curiously. "What are you doing up?" I hated lying and I had done that enough already. But it wasn't like I was gonna tell him what I was doing. Gemme a break. I was confused, angry, sorry, tired, and a bunch of other mixed emotions were running through me at that one moment. All most too much to bear. It felt as though I was cutting open my pounding heart instead of doing amateur surgery on my arm. Not a good feeling, might I add.

Fang spotted the blood's glow from the moon's light. He swore once, loudly, running foreword to me. I dropped the knife like a hot potatoe and turned my head to face him straight on.

"Fang..." I said. At a loss for words. He looked shocked, stricken, scared. I felt tears spring to my eyes. I had put him through this once, and I didn't mean to again, but I did. And there's no turning back. Stupid teenage emotions! Why are girls always the ones to cry, huh?

"What the hell are you doing?!" He said, in a shouted whisper so he wouldn't wake the others.

"Fang . . . " I repeated. God, i felt so dumb. I felt like a frickin' idiot too. I _was_ a frickin' idiot.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He said, in the same tone as before. "You promised me!" It was then, that one fleeting thought that I had broken my biggest promise ever. I'm talkin' bigger than when me, Fang, and Iggy made a pact to be best friends forever and never let one another down.

"I-I'm sorry." I stammered, then the flood gates brokedown and I was bawling like a baby.

Half because my arm hurt like hell, and half because I regretted breaking my promise to Fang.

Fang wrapped his lean, muscular arms around me and I cried into the crook of his neck. I felt one of his hands on my back and the other stroking my hair. After a moment or two, or it could have been a century, who knows, I looked up and a couple of my tears hit my cut (More like gaping arm wound!) and it felt better. I-wait. My cut felt better. A second ago it was throbbing like there was no tomorrow, then the pain just . . . stopped. I looked down and, fang, following my gaze, did too. What we saw next shocked us into next week. The cut (gaping wound) was gone. Yep, this is not a typo. The cut had disappeared. There was only the faintest scar you could see in the moon light. Well, we could 'cuz we're mutants, but you get the picture.

"Whoa," Fang whispered in shocked awe.

We looked at each other and we both said, "Healing tears?"

_Yes, Maximum_, The Voice said. _Congratulations on your new ability._

"I have a new ability," I said, hardly believing my own words. "I have healing tears." Then, a thought came to me. One that would change all of our lives. Well, okay, one in particular. I told Fang my plan.

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** I think that's a bit bigger than some of my other chapters. Now since this is a bit of a cliffie (and you know you're dying to figure out what happens) I want at least 3 reviews before I put Chapter 9 up, please.**


	12. Chapter 9

**Okay, here's the next chapter. Hope you all like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride..**

**Chapter 9**

When I was down telling Fang my idea, he looked both shocked and excited at the same time. I didn't think he was capable of that. "You really think you can?" He asked.

"If they healed this," I held up my arm. "Then why shouldn't they heal his eyes?"

"Maximum Ride," Fang said grinning. "I think you're on to something."

We slapped high fives. Fang had been looking at my arm the entire time I was talking about my plan. He still couldn't get over it. "Now I' m gonna tell you something and you'd better agree." He said seriously.

_Uh-oh._ I nodded.

"Never. Ever again. Got it? You will never do this again, with or without healing powers, okay?"

I nodded again. "I promise Fang. I'm sorry. I was just . . . pushed to the limit."

He took the arm I had cut and said, "Does it hurt? At all?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Are you okay now? Mentally, I mean. No brain-blasts? Voice saying anything?"

"I'm fine." I said.

"Max," Fang said. "Next time the Voice says something, I need you to tell me if it's important."

"I will." I said. He apparently noticed I couldn't keep still and he said, "You gotta go?"

I could have smacked him. "No! Are we gonna wake Iggy up and see if it'll work or not?!"

"Race ya," He said and took of up to where the tall, slender form of a sleeping Iggy lay. It was like we were ten again, racing to get home when it would rain. We would come in soaked and chilled to the bone. When we got up there, we were both shaking Iggy awake roughly.

"Getoff!" He groaned.

"Iggy, wake up, Max got a new ability." Fang said. Jeez, it sounded like it was Christmas morning to him; and, if this worked, it would be ... to all of us.

Iggy sat up reluctantly.

"I have healing tears." I said.

Something in his dull pale blue eyes made them light up. "Are you serious?"

I new what he was gonna ask next, so I said, "You want to be our second test subject?"

He was about to reply, but first said, "Second?"

"Yeah," Fang said. "Max decided to try major surgery on her arm again. Using my knife."

"Oooh," Iggy chastised me. "Bet you ticked Fnick off."

"Damn straight, Figgy." They grinned. Well, I'm glad they're getting joy from my traumatic experience.

"Iggy," I said, "Do you want to see or not?"

"Duh." He said, then got serious. "What do you want me to do?"

"Lie back." I said. It was still only around five in the morning, or I didn't have to worry about the sun hurting his eyes after five years of being blind. "Okay, I said, take my hand and tell me if it hurts. I don't know what it should feel like on your eyes, so don't freak or anything." He nodded and held onto my hand. "Keep your eyes open and tell my if you need to blink. Ready?"

He nodded once more. "Enjoy your last few seconds of being blind." I said, trying to lighten the tension.

He snorted. Good, he got the joke part. I yawned. Oh yeah, that brought major tears to my eyes. After all, I had been awake for almost 24 hours straight. I leaned close. My eyes were only several inches from Iggy's. "Hold completely still," I murmured. The tears fell loose and hit Iggy's eyes. I let three tears go in each of Iggy's eyes for good measure.

"Close you eyes now." I was surprised to hear how confident and that I sounded like I knew what I was doing I sounded. I guess it was instinct that comes with new abilities. The sun was just coming over the horizon, a faint pink glow was cast across the sky. "Now," I said. "Don't be disappointed if the first thing you see is me. I look like I just stuck a fork in a light socket."

"I wouldn't recommend that." Fang said. I stared. "I didn't mean to. Remember that plug-in that was in the kitchen of our old house, by the counter on the...left side of the fridge? There was a bug on the wall, and I was trying to jab at it and i missed...not pretty results."

I winced. "Oh," I added to Iggy. "I also look like I came from a slaughterhouse, so don't freak out on me." I took a deep breath. "H'okay, open your eyes. He did. The first thing I noticed: His usually dull pale blue eyes were now a bright baby blue color.

"Well?" Fang and I prodded. But I'm pretty sure we both already knew the answer.

"Max? Fang?" He said slowly. "Wow, you were right about the whole bloody-slaughterhouse thing."

I smiled and threw myself on him in a tight hug. This brought tears to my eyes all over again. Happy tears, though. I helped him up and hugged him again.

"And for the record," He said. "I'm not disappointed that the first thing I saw was you."

I let out a small laugh. "Thanks, Ig." He and Fang tapped fists and then, guess what? Fang pulled him into a (manly) hug. Ig had always been like a brother to him, and vice versa.

"I can't wait till the kids wake up." I said.

"Thank you, Max." Iggy said, kissing my cheek.

"I'm just happy you can see again." I said, my voice breaking with emotion. And, for the record, Ig was like a brother to me too.

"Yeah, me too, man." Fang added.

"So," I prompted. "How does it feel?"

Iggy thought for a moment, then said, "Amazing. I didn't think I'd ever see again." We all just stood there smiling at each other for the longest time. Yes, Iggy actually got to see Fang smile.

Two and a half hours later, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel all woke up. Angel, with a slight grin on her sleepy little face, but I told her with my mind to stay quiet about it for a minute.

"Guys," I said, kneeling down next to the three, small, groggy figures, with Fang and the newly improved Iggy behind me. I just couldn't get over how happy Iggy looked and sounded. My heart nearly cracked from joy. "We have something to tell you. I got a new ability last night."

The little guys started congratulating me. "Well, I got healing tears. And we...we restored Iggy eyesight. He's not blind anymore. He can see again." My voice was filled with emotion.

After a moment of shocked silence, Nudge shrieked, throwing herself in Iggy's arms, and he spun her around in a circle laughing. Ig picked Angel up and hugged her tightly. Gazzy hugged Iggy around the middle (which was as far as his head went). Iggy was definitely getting tall. Nudge was talking so fast, I couldn't even make out the words, but Iggy obviously could, 'cuz he was nodding and looked as though he understood.

A moment later, my gaze was past them all. I was staring at four mysterious figures beside the edge of the forest. They didn't look like Erasers though.

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**Oooh, cliffes. I LOVE cliffes. But I will be a good person and post the next chapter too. But don't forget to R&R!\**


	13. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Maximum Ride in any way, shape, or form.**

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**C****hapter 10**

I tapped Fang on the arm silently and motioned toward the people.

I then bent down and said to Angel, "Hey, sweetie? You see those people over there? What can you pick up from them?"

Angel thought for a moment, then said, "They're not Erasers. They're like us; they escaped from the School, too."

"Are you sure?"

Angel nodded. "Okay," I said. "Stay here with the others."

With that, I started to walk towards the four newcomers with Fang right behind me.

"What are you gonna do? Should we do a U and A?" Fang asked.

"I'm gonna talk to them." Was my obvious reply.

When Fang and I drew level with them, I said, "Uhh . . . hi."

They looked hesitant, but returned my greeting all the same.

"Um, not to be rude or anything, but who are you?" I asked, politely as possible. I mean, if these were fellow escapee's I didn't want to piss them off.

A girl who had dark hair with brown streaks through it, was wearing a black sleeveless Green Day t-shirt, black jeans, and a red flare miniskirt, said, "I'm Sam. This is Leksy," She pointed to the girl standing next to her who had long black hair tied up in a pony tail, she wore a black rock band t-shirt with tight, ripped jeans. Around her neck she wore a silver skull head necklace, she had lots of bracelets and, this is the strange part, a guitar case slug over her back.

Sam continued, "She's Icarus," This time, she motioned to a girl beside Leksy, who was very tall and pale with short brown hair and a red side-bang. "And he's Kieo," Sam pointed to a boy beside her. He looked a little older than the girls (probably about sixteen; the girls looked around my age). He had black eyes and black and white/silverish hair.

But the girl-Sam-had my attention. She reminded me of someone . . . .

"Now," The girl called Leksy said matter-of-factly, "Who the heck are you?"

"I'm Max," I said. "He's Fang."

We stood staring at each other from a moment then the girl called Icarus said, "So how did you get out here?"

"We-" I began but stopped. How did I know this wasn't a trick? Angel could have mixed signals.

"Angel!" I called and she came running to us. The rest of the flock were about to come too, but I motioned for them to stay behind-Iggy saw my signal. God I'm glad he can see again-Who knew if these people were dangerous?

"Yeah?" Angel asked. I bent down and whispered in her ear, "Are they even remotely dangerous?"

She looked at them for a moment, searching their minds. Then, she whispered back, "Only to the Erasers. Like I said before: They escaped from the School like we did."

I murmured my thanks and finished what I was going to say to them before. "We flew."

Their eyes shot wide open. "You mean-?" The guy called Kieo said.

"You're mutants, too?" Leksy asked.

We nodded.

Sam said, "Avian?"

More nods.

"Right," I said. "We need to talk."

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**R&R please!**


	14. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. **

**Thank you to all who have reviewed!**

**C****hapter 11**

Ten minutes later, Fang, Iggy and I were sitting across from the other mutants. Wow-that sounded weird even in my mouth. Anyway, Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel were in the water playing.

The wind was blowing slightly and, apparently Icarus was chilly, because she gathered herself up in her red Hoodie, with a black shirt with rhinestones in the form of a cross on it underneath.

I was a little nervous about this, but we needed their information.

"Right," I said. "We need you to tell us who you are and, . . . well basically all the important stuff."

"Why should we tell you?" The girl called Leksy said.

I made myself not retort and thought for a moment, "The oldest should start first."

The guy called Kieo, who was wearing all black. I'm talkin' black shirt with a skull design, black jeans and black boots, started, "As Sam pointed out, my name is Kieo. I'm 16." He paused as if this was awkward. Which, in fact, it was. "I uh, well,"

"What kind of powers do you have?" Fang asked.

This seemed to be a more comfortable area for him.

Kieo said, "Oh, I can morph my wings into and out of my body, kind of like an Eraser can do with their wolf form." Whoa shock there. "And I can astro-project."

Me, Fang, and Iggy stared blankly at him. I saw Leksy roll her eyes at our expressions.

"That means I can project people's astro-form . . . that's uh, their spirit from their body, leaving the body in a stable coma while the spirit can explore freely and safely."

We nodded, clearly impressed. "Wow," I said. "So which School did you guys grow up at?"

"The one in Death Valley, California." Kieo said.

Now it was Sam's turn. "Name's Samantha, but everyone calls me Sam. I'm fourteen. I have X-ray vision that I can use when I concentrate really hard. And I can blast fire from my left hand, and ice from my right."

Now that's what I call cool!

Next was Leksy who was snapping twigs. Tough girl, I guessed. "Well, if you must know, I'm Leksy. I'm the same age as Sam and Ic, here.

I have super-human strength and I can control people's state of consciousness. If someone's having a, like, headache or something, I can put them unconscious until it's over."

Last, but not least, Icarus. "I'm Icarus, they call me Ic though. I'm fourteen, too. Um, I haven't developed any powers yet. I can't really remember anything before I was brought to the school when I was five. But I wasn't born with wings or anything. All I know is the whitecoats kidnapped me and, for want of a better word, "winged" me."

Whoa, I did not expect that. But something hit me: We have no proof of their wings yet.

"If you're who you said, show us your wings." I said.

They looked at each other and stood up. Icarus opened hers first.

Her wings were as long as mine and were dark brown and had red and black streaks through them.

Sam opened hers. Hers were dark brown also, with lighter brown streaks running through them.

Kieo went next. His were dark black and were tipped dark purple, except for a bit on the inside where they were white. Like his hair.

Leksy reluctantly went next. Her wings were as long as the other girls', and a bit shorter than Kieo's. They were turquoise and were fading to black at the tips. Now those were some bright wings.

They closed their wings and sat back down. "Satisfied?" Leksy asked.

"Why yes, I am." I said, just to tick her off. "By the way, we were at the School in Death Valley, what section were you in?"

Kieo answered. "We were all in cages side-by-side in section D-21."

"We were in A-19." Fang explained.

"What about your wings?" Sam asked.

We showed them. I'm not gonna go into details 'cuz I've explained before.

They trusted us, I think. Well, I'm not so sure about Leksy, she's kind of on my 'maybe' list right now.

**--**

**K, there ya go. Please Review!**


	15. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. Thank you guys for your reviews.**

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**Chapter 12**

After the younger ones came out of the water, we had already told our story to Icarus, Kieo, Leksy, and Sam (minus the Voice in head and must save world thing, but hey, we have to observe them longer before we can tell them everything )

Darkness was finally cast over the small Island. We had sent Iggy and Sam out a little while before, and they still hadn't returned. Right before I was about to go look for them, I heard the sound of laughing. Oh boy. They emerged from the woods, laughter dying down a bit.

"Yeah," Iggy was saying. "The biggest I made was in the range of an F-19."

Double 'oh boy'. They were talking about bombs. Homemade bombs, might I add.

"No way!" Sam said wide-eyed. "The biggest I ever got to was an F-15! I never could get the fuse strong enough."

"Well, maybe I can show you sometime." Iggy said. Were they making a date?

OhmanOhmanOhmanOhmanOhmanOhman! This is huge! Iggy making a date with a girl? I never would have thought . . . .

Even after they sat back down (side-by-side) talking still, Leksy and Icarus rolled their eyes, as did Fang and me. Kieo was just ignoring them altogether.

Well, at least Ig was happy. Sam seemed to be to. But if she even thinks of hurting him emotional once, no matter how little, I will wring her neck!

And that's a promise.

Everyone went to sleep soon after. Fang said, " Max? Can I talk to you?"

" . . . yeah . . . " I said, wondering what this was about.

He extended his hand to help me up. Wow, now that surprised me.

We walked along the beach for a few minutes until . . .

"Max, can I ask you something?" Fang said in almost a whisper.

"Sure," I said.

"Why did you get mad over Lissa?" He asked.

Wow big question, and I had my answer, I just wasn't sure how to say it.

"Uh . . . because, I . . . " I couldn't say it. Fang stopped walking and tugged my sleeve so I would stop too.

"why?" He repeated.

"Because, I didn't want you to get hurt?" I lied, it came out like a question, but I didn't mean it to.

"Okay, I know that's not the real reason, but, okay." He sounded hurt that I wouldn't tell him.

I couldn't stand it so I blurted out, "I was jealous." Me and my stupid can't-keep-quiet-about-your-emotions-for-nothing mouth.

Fang seemed satisfied. "Really?" He said, a grin plastered on his face.

"Well, it's not like you weren't jealous about my date with Sam when we were still at Anne's." I defended.

"I wasn't," He said. And, when I was about to keep walking, he pulled me back. "But if I said, that, I would be lying." His dark eyes sparkled with mischief in the moon's glow.

He stared in my eyes for the longest time. Then, (I can't believe this) he started leaning toward me.

A moment later, his lips were pressed gently, but firmly, against mine.

I stood shocked for a moment, then I responded by kissing him back.

We stood like that for what must have been a century, but was actually only a few seconds.

We both pulled apart slowly. God I have been waiting for this moment for so long, I thought.

I actually saw him smile. Then, he took my hand, and led me back up where the fire was still barely burning. It felt like there was a fire inside me, too. Life is full of little surprises like that.

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**Okay, finally some official Faxness! lol, anyway, R&R please!!!**


	16. Chapter 13

**Okay, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry I haven't updated in, like, forever!! I'm going to try to update every day but if I forget once or twice, please forgive me. So here's chapter 13.**

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**Chapter 13**

Fang and I walked back up to where everyone else were, hand-in-hand.

We just sat there, by the fire, for a while in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was . . . peaceful. I wondered if he was still thinking about that kiss, 'cuz I sure as heck still was. It felt so electrifying. His lips against mine was a whole new feeling and, I must say, I loved every second of it. It wasn't like when I had kissed Sam back at Anne's. This was different. I didn't feel anything huge when we kissed, but with Fang . . . it . . . I can't describe it. It was electric. It felt like sparks went off inside me. And I really hoped beyond hope that I would be able to feel like that again.

Fang and I both looked up at the same time and caught each other's eye. If I wasn't mistaken, he blushed. Yes, I'm pretty dang sure he blushed. We held each other's gaze until someone's voice broke our gaze.

It was Kieo. He was mumbling something and, in the deathly silence, I could just make out what it was. He said, "You'll never take me alive you Whitecoats." Then he made karate-chopping motions with his hands. Now that's what I call a determined fighter. I giggled and turned my sight to the rest of the group. Angel, Nudge and Gazzy were in a form, kind of like a triangle. Iggy and Sam weren't too far from each other. No big surprises there, and Icarus, Leksy and Kieo were side-by-side about three feet apart from each other.

I yawned. "Tired?" Fang asked.

I thought for a moment. In a way I was, but in another, I was wide awake.

"Not really, so much anymore." I said, and he knew what I was talking about. He grinned, and I returned it.

Over the time span of twenty minutes, the fire finally went out all the way, leaving me and Fang just sitting there, in the dark. A breeze arose for a moment, cutting right through me. I shivered and Fang put his arm around my shoulder.

I grinned to myself. I knew that if one of the flock members woke up, we'd practically jump apart.

"So what do you think of Kieo, Leksy, Icarus, and Sam?" I asked.

"Well," He began, a smirk playing on his lips. "I know Iggy likes Sam." We laughed quietly for a moment. "They seem okay to me. Leksy has a kind of attitude thing going. Kieo seems decent and Icarus seems . . . well, a little like Leksy and Kieo. I don't know. What were you thinking?"

"Well, Angel says we should trust them. They escaped too and are running from the Erasers. Maybe we should let them stay with us for a while. If anything suspicious arises, we can always U and A." I said.

Fang nodded. "Sounds reasonable to me." He said.

"But if Iggy and Sam even think of making a F-whatever bomb, I wack them both."

He laughed. I loved seeing him laugh. It felt like we were almost normal teenagers, cracking up at some weird joke that only we get.

Kieo started muttering again from behind us. "Yes! Take tha' you son of a gun!" He kicked out violently, hitting Leksy in the thigh.

"Ow!" She exclaimed, raising up and thwacking him on the head. "Ignoramus!" She said, lying back down further away from him.

That's Leksy for you. Kieo didn't even wake up, he just slept on silently.

"We should get some sleep." I said.

"Yeah," Fang said, looking into my eyes again. I swear when he does that I melt like a freakin' popsicle.

We each lay down, side-by-side (a foot and a half apart, mind you) and he said quietly, " 'Night, Max."

"G'night, Fang." I said. He kissed my cheek.

_Told you that you were both growing up_. The Voice said.

_Can it_, I thought back.

_And that you liked Fang_. It concluded, leaving me grinning like a fool.

**-----**

**R&R please!!!**


	17. Chapter 14

**Thanks for your reviews guys! Here's the next chapter!**

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**Chapter 14 **

I awoke to a booming sound off in the distance. I sat up, which was kinda hard 'cause Fang's arm was slung protectively across my waist. But, I got into a sitting position and looked around. Head count.

Icarus, Leksy, Kieo, Gazzy, Angel, Nudge, Fang. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Iggy and Sam were missing. Now I knew what the booming noise was. Bombs. I can't believe them!

I quickly shook Fang awake and the others started opening their eyes too as the explosions got louder.

"What the heck it that?!" Icarus and Leksy shouted at the same time, apparently they're not morning people.

I scrambled to my feet and listened (which wasn't that hard, that noise was loud!) to which direction the booming was coming from. East.

I ran that way, everyone else (besides Fang who was wide awake now) was dragging lazily behind me.

We walked for about three minutes until we saw them, standing there not fifty feet from us. Iggy was holding a lighter, while Sam was holding fuse wire.

"Iggy!" I shouted. He heard me and looked around with a horrific expression. Yeah, he better be scared of me. I told him thousands of times not to be setting bombs off unless I was awake.

Did he listen? Noooo.

Sam whipped around too and caught sight of us. "Uh-oh," I heard her say to Ig.

He nodded in agreement.

"Is she gonna get mad?" Sam asked.

Iggy shook his head. "I'm not completely sure."

I started toward them.

"Morning', Max!" Iggy tried sounding casual and happy to see me.

"Ig!" I said, once I had gotten over by them. I was sooo glad he wasn't blind anymore so he could see my expression. "What have I told you about setting bombs off before . . ." I grabbed Fang's arm to look at his watch. It was only eight-thirty. "Before nine o' clock unless necessary?"

He looked sheepish. "I don't exactly recall."

"Well just . . . don't." Aw, crap. Lack of words makes me weaker. He can almost always come up with a comeback.

He burst out laughing. "That had to be the shortest rant I've ever heard from you!" He choked out.

Ten minutes later, we were all (That's Iggy and Samantha included) sitting around the fire Fang and Iggy had built, eating protein bars. We offered Kieo and the other's some of our spare ones, but they declined politely. They had their own.

"Hey, guys?" Kieo said. "Why does my head hurt?"

Fang and I looked at each other quickly and burst out laughing.

"What?" He asked.

"Leksy smacked you in the head last night." I said, once my laughter subsided, which took a while.

"What'd you do that for?!" Kieo asked Leksy who was beside him.

Icarus and Sam looked up in interest.

"You kicked me!" Leksy defended.

"Well, if you hadn't been right beside me!" Kieo shot back.

"You're the one who moves around in his sleep, not me!" She said.

"Guys!" Icarus said loudly. "Shut up!" Then to me, "They do this all the time. Arguing is on their daily schedule."

I grinned.

After a few more minutes of Leksy and Kieo bickering quietly, I said. "Okay, everyone. Fang and I have been talking and Kieo, Leksy, Icarus, Sam, you guys are welcome to stay with us if you want."

They looked at each other. It's like they used their eyes to agree or something 'cause Samantha said, "Sure. Thanks, max."

"No prob." I said.

I looked at her for a second, then said to Fang, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He said, "Uh, yeah." He got up and followed me. Gazzy, Angel, and Nudge made a beeline for the ocean.

"Fang," I said, once we were out of earshot. "Do you think Sam . . . I don't know, resembles someone in the flock?"

He looked at Sam who was talking quietly with Iggy, then back at me. "I don't know."

I looked at him intently. "What?" He asked. "You think she looks like me!?"

"Yes," I said. "You both have dark wings, dark hair, the same complexion, the same facial bone structure. I think she might be your . . . your sister."

He looked like I had gone nuts-o.

"Max, maybe you're mistaken." He said. "We have papers on who my parents are, we don't know if they've ever found out about where they've come from."

I sighed and caught his hand, pulling him up to the other's with me.

"Hey, Sam?" I said. She looked up at me, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any papers on who your parents are? Or any idea really?"

"Yeah," She said, and reached for her backpack which was behind her.

She took out two or three papers and glanced at each one before she said, "They're names are Malorie and Jason Bradshall." She said.

I stared at Fang. That was exactly what the papers about his parent said.

"Where do they live?" I asked.

"Washington D.C." She replied.

"Funny," I said casually. "That's exactly what Fang's papers say."

**---**

**R&R please!**


	18. Chapter 15 Part 1

**Here's the next chapter!**

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**Chapter 15 part 1**

Everyone stared at me like they were ready to chuck me in the loony bin.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked slowly.

"I just mean," I began. "You know you both look alike?"

Fang nodded slightly. Sam hesitated then nodded as well.

"And you both have the same parents, you're from the same place in Washington, you have the same hair and wing color, you even have the same complexion." I said.

"I guess you're right," Sam said. "But don't you think this may be a coincidence?"

Kieo spoke up. "Fang, you're not saying anything. What do you think?"

Everyone nodded. Waiting to hear Fang's opinion.

"Well," Fang began slowly. "I think Max may be right."

I heard Iggy whisper to the Gasman, "Of course he'd say Max is right." They sniggered.

"Open your wings and stand side-by-side." I instructed.

"Max," Fang began.

"Do it!" After all, I was the leader.

Sam stood up beside Fang, they were sighing and muttering.

Fang and Sam opened their wings and I nodded in satisfaction. Their wings were almost identical. Sam's had a few more brown streaks running through them than Fan's did.

"See, everyone?" I said as Fan and Sam pulled their wings in. "Did you see their wings? Look at their eyes, facial structure. You can tell they're related."

Sam looked at Fang. "What do you think?"

Fang looked to me, to Sam, then to everyone else who were deathly silent. "I think . . . that Max is right. The proof is right in front of us. We just choose to be hesitant." Fang said, choosing his words carefully. He then turned to face Sam head-on. "But, I do truely believe you are my sister."

Wow, that was the longest of his sincere speeches he had ever made.

Sam smiled a watery smile. "I think so too."

And, with that said, she wrapped her skinny arms around Fang and hugged him.

Now if this had been any other girl, I might have gotten jealous and hostile. But it wasn't. So I didn't.

How could Jeb have kept them apart? It sickened me and made my heart break. Fang and Samantha were related, and didn't know it 'till just now. They were kept apart for fourteen years, not knowing their sibling was only a couple of hallways over. They were twins, and I would see to it that no one splits them up like that ever again.

They pulled apart and were pretty silent.

"I . . . it's good to know you're here." Sam said. "I'm just glad you're

here." She finished as if she didn't know what to say.

"Me, too." Fang said, patting her on her shoulder.

Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy got up and hugged both of them. Icarus, Kieo, and Leksy cracked small smiles. Though, Leksy had to ruin the moment by saying, "Awe, what a touching reunion. I almost cried. Not."

I gave her a stern look.

Iggy got up and wrapped an arm around Sam's shoulders, pulling her to him.

Now that was so sweet! I'm not the kind to get sappy at things like this, but i was tearing up.

Fang held out an arm to me. I walked over to him and we embraced. He kissed the top of my head, and Gazzy, Nudge, Angel, and Iggy started muttering and sniggering.

"Let's all go swimming!" Angel said, disturbing my peaceful moment in Fang's arms.

"Sure, Ange," I said, laughing lightly. I turned to Sam and gave her a one-armed hug and an encouraging smile.

**---**

**Don't forget to R&R!**


	19. Chapter 15 Part 2

**Sorry it took so long to get this up! I hope you guys like it. Also, check out my new story called 'Shadow of the Day'.**

**_Chapter 15 part 2_ **

We all walked down to the water, Ig, Kieo, and Gazzy were chasing the girls around in knee-high water.

Fang and I sat down about ten feet from the water. We watched as Gazzy did one of his signature 'dive bombs'. Nudge kept shrieking, "Don't land on me!" every time he'd come within three feet of hitting her. Angel was nowhere to be found, though. I forced myself to calm down and not run toward the water screaming for her to come back up, in search for her. Ig was playfully wrestling with Sam, and Kieo was trying to sneak-tackle Icarus and Leksy. Kieo came up behind Leksy (he was under the water) and he apparently grabbed her ankle and yanked her under. Leksy came back up coughing and spluttering. "You fricking idiot!" She yelled, though she had a grin on her face as she playfully smacked him on the arm. Icarus rolled her eyes, made a face, and floated on her back away from everyone else.

I glanced at Fang next to me. "How does it feel?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at me. "Hmm . . . good. I just never expected. . . " He trailed off.

"Yeah, I know." I said, but I guess I really didn't. I couldn't imagine what was going through his mind right then. A thousand thoughts were probably running through his head, waiting to be sorted out. Mixed thoughts. Obvious ones. Probably some he never though he'd ask himself. He was probably confused and . . . well, not confused at the same time.

We were silent until . . .

"Max, Fang, common!" Nudge yelled, waving her hand to come in the water.

I looked at Fang. I didn't really feel like swimming and he didn't seem to like the idea of it right now either. "No, that's okay Nudge!" I called back. "I think we're just gonna walk!" She looked disappointed, but went back to playing with Angel and Gazzy.

Fang and I got up and started to walk off to the woods.

I started by saying, "How could Jeb?!"

Fang placed at hand on my back and said, "I don't know. It's Jeb though. He's probably the world's biggest liar."

I was sooo angry at Jeb right then, I swear if he was there, I would have killed him with my bare hands.

"He couldn't even say anything? I mean, it's not that hard." I then mimicked Jeb's voice, "Oh, yeah, Fang, I forgot to tell you, you have a sister. Sorry we didn't tell you, we are just good-for-nothing-bastards. Ugh! I hate him! I can only imagine how you and Sam feel!"

Fang grinned and said playfully, "Wow, that was some rant."

I laughed and slapped his arm lightly. I knew that even if I punched his arm, it would only leave a small bruise. What can I say? He's a tough guy.

He stopped and I faced him. "I'm sorry," I said.

"No need to apologize," He said, and put a hand on the back of my neck, drawing me closer. He gave me a soft kiss on the lips and said, "It's no one's fault but his."

After a moment more of thinking, we both walked back to the beach. I, for one, was glad to get that little, 'rant' as Fang called it, off my chest.

**Please review! If you review, I'll give you a cookie!!!**


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